The dual-edged problem of racial/ethnic disparities in health and the under-representation of minority scientists are two of the most compelling challenges facing the field of biomedicine. Minority-Serving Institutions are under-utilized as part of the solution to these vexing problems. The Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is uniquely positioned to utilize this P30 award mechanism to redress these issues as a minority-serving academic health center that integrates its tripartite mission of: educating a high proportion of minority students; providing quality medical care to under-served minority communities and pursuing scientific excellence in minority health research. The MSM executive leadership has a long-term institutional commitment to the goal of establishing the MSM Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) as one of the nation's preeminent multi-disciplinary research centers of excellence and research training programs that prioritizes minority health research and training the next generation of minority scientists. Our approach seeks to build strength upon strength by enabling the CVRI Director to focus the P30 program resources on our three major assets ~ our faculty, our research infrastructure and our future scientists. Accordingly, the three major objectives of this P30 program are: 1) the retention and career development of 'new investigators' that have already been recruited to the CVRI, 2) the ongoing enhancement of our shared-use resources, and 3) the further refinement of our research training environment for under-represented minority students. These objectives will be achieved by pursuing the following specific aims: Aim I: To retain and mentor a critical mass of talented new investigators that develop independent research programs and multi-disciplinary, collaborative research teams. Aim II: To establish enabling technologies and a shared-use research infrastructure that supports leading edge cardiovascular science. Aim III: To expand the racial/ethnic diversity of the biomedical research community by sustaining a vibrant intellectual environment conducive to training and nurturing the development of minority students into leading investigators. Aim IV: To develop innovative, cross-disciplinary research programs that integrate basic, translational, clinical and population science approaches to address racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular health.